Subject: Sword & Bird Logo
Bird Imagery Text OutlineSubjects, Topics & Types:
- Description (below)
- Source Literature
- Iconography
- Confusions
- Others...
Video: Sword & Bird Logo
Sword & Bird Logo: the standing sword with two double-headed birds was believed to have been painted as a mural on a wall of Samye Monastery by Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltsen (1182-1251). An inscription below the mural written by Sakya Pandita gives the name of the symbol logo as 'Great One who is Energetically Faithful to the Vows' (sdom brtson dam pa) which is the first line of a longer inscription. Some late scrollwork painted versions of the logo have added a book beneath the sword such as with the example above. There was no book described in the depiction of the original mural by Sakya Pandita.
Study Topics:
- Monastery Outer Wall Decoration
- Iconography & Variations
- Source Literature
- Mural Inscription
- Alternate Explanations
- Abbot, Acharya & King Trio
- Others...
One interpretation of the meaning of the mural is from a Nyingma 'Revealed Treasure' perspective and includes five prominent teachers of the 8th century.
Symbolism:
- Lake = Shantarakshita
- Lotus = Padmasambhava
- Sword = Trisong Detsen
- Duck = Vimalamitra
- Parrot = Vairotsana
Jeff Watt 5-2024
Bibliography:
Gateway to the Temple. Thubten Legshay Gyatsho. Translated by David Jackson. Ratna Pustak Bhandar, Kathmandu, 1979. Page 53.
"A Symbolic representation of the early propagators of Buddhism in the 8th century Tibet, originally painted on the walls of Samye by Sakya Pandita. Here Padmasambhava is symbolized by the lotus, Khri-srong lde'u btsan by the flaming sword, and Santarakshita by the lake. The two-headed birds represent the two greatest translators of the time." (Page 53).
The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols. Robert Beer. Serindia Publications, 1999.
"The two-headed duck represents the great Indian master and translator from Kashmir, Vimalamitra, who was also invited to Tibet by Trisong Detsen. The two-headed parrot represents the great Tibetan translator and disciple of Padmasambhava, Vairocana. The two eyes and beaks of each bird, facing towards opposite directions, symbolize both the transmission of the Buddhist teachings from India into Tibet, and their translation from Sanskrit into Tibetan."
—Excerpt from The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols by Robert Beer.
(Additional images will be added as available).
